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As with a lot of roasts I sometimes think that I have more fun with the ham leftovers than the initial meal and I always like to start off with that precious ham bone! The ham bone is perfect for simmering for hours in soups and stocks to bring out all of its flavour imparting it into the soup. You can use a ham bone in a lot of different soups but my favourite has to be the classic split pea soup which is a bowl of comfort food on a chilly day. With the days getting colder I knew that I would be using the bone from the gingersnap crusted ham that I made last week and it was the perfect opportunity to update my split pea soup recipe with some new photos!

This split pea soup is super easy to make where you really just need to saute some vegetables, throw everything into the pot along with the ham bone and then simmer for a few hours letting all of the flavours come out while the split peas cook. I like to go with a ham broth for this soup but chicken broth or vegetable broth also work. If you have any leftover ham meat, it makes a great addition and I like to finish everything of with a hit of grainy mustard and lemon juice.

directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the liquid, split peas, ham bone and bay leaves, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the spit peas are soft and just starting to fall apart, about 1-2 hours.

Remove the ham bone and bay leaves, season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste, mix in the mustard and lemon juice and optionally puree with hand blender to desired consistency.

For Slow Cooker: Optionally implement steps 1 & 2 and then place everything into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-5 hours.Option: Add a parmesan rind to simmer in the soup and remove before serving.Option: Add two cups diced ham at the end and cook for 5 more minutes.Option: Add one cup fresh or frozen peas at the end and cook for 5 more minutes.Option: Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.Option: Serve garnished with grainy mustard, sour cream, paprika, ham, etc.Option: For vegetarian use vegetable broth and omit the ham bone.

p/s: just came to mind that this would make a good entry for the Legume food event that Susan of The well-seasoned cook is hosting:http://thewellseasonedcook.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-legume-love-affair-event.html

i have to be honest, i have never like pea soup, but when my girlfriend found this recipe and made it for me...holly hell! It was an amazing recipe. We get our veggies from Celebrity Foods and this was a great twist to our meals! Thank you!

Made my first pot ever of split-pea soup. After simmering for three hours the peas maintained their original shape and character...not thickened and almost pureed as I have always experienced. What did I do wrong?

Fred: Normally the peas should be cooked after 2-3 hours and have that thickened pureed texture. It might be possible that you had a particularly old batch of peas... In this situation you could use an immersion blender to puree them.

Kevin; thanks for the great recipe. I just had a bowl of split pea and ham soup, adding the cracked red pepper and the frozen peas added the texture and spice that made this soup above the others. ChristenKaty, TX

I just made Split Pea Soup after our Thanksgiving Fellowship at church. I saw a recipe that used Herbs de Provence and I had a blend, so I tried it. It is really good although the herbs seem to be a bit overbearing with the first couple bites, then seem to mellow out. I may have had a too heavy hand. But overall, a success!

Love split pea soup. I'm on a soup kick so will have to do this next. When my daughter was little she wouldn't eat peas do when I made split pea soup I would blend it smooth and call it ham soup and she would eat it until she somehow figured out it was peas and never ate it again.

I have never been a huge fan of split pea soup, but I have to say this looks DELISH! This used to be my dad's favorite growing up, maybe if I make this, instead of the canned soup he will eat it! ;) haha

Michelle Sowards: Drop dumplings will work, 20 minutes from when you want to eat crank the slow cooker up to high and drop in the dumplings and let cook until the dumplings are ready, maybe 10-20 minutes.

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.